Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East

It was a pleasure to welcome Filip Savatic last week at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. He discussed his work on the evolution of European #migration and #asylum externalization policies with Rice University scholars and students.

🌍 In a year marked by regional upheaval, experts from the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East provided timely research and actionable insights. From the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by the Israel-Hamas war to disruptions in energy supply chains and the impacts of climate displacement, their work provided critical insights to inform policy and action. Looking ahead to 2025, the center remains committed to delivering timely, impactful research on the Middle East’s most pressing issues, shaping policy approaches to the region’s enduring political, economic and societal concerns. Keep up with the latest updates by visiting the center’s page: https://bit.ly/41N23ho

The fall of Assad in #Syria will be complex for #Jordan. Nonresident fellow Merissa Khurma explains why in a new article for Wilson Center | Middle East Program. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dK7JuKdX

In examining President-elect Donald #Trump’s preparations for his return to office, Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East’s Kristian Ulrichsen draws parallels between Trump’s Mar-a-Lago meetings and “majlis,” the Middle Eastern tradition of elites hosting community members in the domestic setting to build ties and exchange favors. The majlis is “very relevant to understanding how Trump appears to be operating, and it adds to perceptions — held by many observers in and analysts of the Gulf States as well — that the Trump inner circle at Mar-a-Lago more closely resembles a ‘royal court’ than anything else,” Ulrichsen told Jewish Insider. Go deeper: https://bit.ly/3W1e7rG.

Egypt backed Assad until the last minute and now worries about what Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's control of #Syria could mean. “For #Egypt, this creates of course apprehension, especially given the Brotherhood's history in the country,” nonresident fellow Merissa Khurma told FRANCE 24. https://lnkd.in/dpM7Tddi

What would a renewed “maximum pressure” campaign on #Iran look like under #Trump in a changing #MiddleEast? Fellows Kristian Ulrichsen, Jim Krane and Mohammad Tabaar explore this issue in a new policy brief. 📖 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dR7NyZ5A

Read nonresident fellow Elizabeth Ferris' 2nd edition of the “Periodic Global Report on the State of Solutions to Internal #Displacement” in collaboration with IOM - UN Migration. The analysis draws on data from 15 countries to inform decisions regarding solutions for #IDPs. https://lnkd.in/dZZdD3jp

#China-#Gulf cooperation on the #energy transition takes advantage of numerous synergies in economic policies and industrial strategies, enabled by a big loophole in Washington’s strategic interests. A new issue brief by Kristian Ulrichsen, Jim Krane, Ana Martín Gil, Aaron Pasha and Karina Pan outlines this issue. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dt4kF-bk

Nonresident fellow Merissa Khurma told Voice of America it's “very difficult” to compare the #Syrian rebels to the Taliban: “With #Syria, it was freeing the Syrian people from a brutal regime. With Afghanistan, it was essentially the return of a brutal regime to power.” https://lnkd.in/epEZ-j2z

A new issue brief by nonresident fellow Osamah Alsayegh calls on the #GCC states to reassess the viability of establishing a joint regional #nuclear power plant to align with their sustainable development goals as well as to advance the region’s long-term prosperity. https://lnkd.in/dnMX7UiQ